After 40: Bruins 2 – Habs 2

BOSTON — Once again, the Bruins power play is left powerless, and Tomas Plekanec has given the Canadiens all the momentum with his shorthanded goal at 5:50 of the second period to tie the game at 2-2. That’s where things stand after 40 minutes.

If things can’t get any worse for the Bruins’ power play, well it did after Plekanec’s shorthanded goal. It’s one thing if a team is getting good shots but can’t convert at this rate. It’s another thing if they can’t even enter the zone or deliver crisp passes cleanly. Tomas Kaberle’s play has been painful to watch as well. It’s safe to say he’s performing way below expectations since coming over from Toronto.

Things clearly turned around after Plekanec’s goal for Montreal. They seemed to thrive off that energy and created a 12-7 shots advantage in the middle 20 minutes and used the transition game — and their speed — to their advantage. Tim Thomas, meanwhile, has kept the Bruins in it with some solid saves in the second.

While the Bruins’ PP is clearly struggling, their penalty kill did a solid job for the middle period. They had a chance shorthanded and they were disturbing the passing lanes during the Habs PP at the end of the period, which still has 12 seconds left.

It’s pretty safe to say that head coach Claude Julien’s job is in jeopardy if the B’s lose tonight. While we all know he’s not an outspoken coach, there’s gotta be some sense of urgency after seeing his team perform below average during the second period. It will be interesting to see how the B’s come out for the third because we will most likely see the end of the Claude Julien era if they come out flat again in the third.